When Nehemiah set out from Susa, he had no idea what a daunting task he had accepted: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  He could never have accomplished the task alone.  He helped Israel see that they were the key to lifting the disgrace in which they were living.

Chapter three stands as a testimony to the people of Israel.  It is not always easy to find passages like that.  But here, Israel rose to the task.  A group took to building a section of the wall.  Each did his part until the wall was being worked on all the way around.  Simultaneously there was working being done all around Jerusalem.  Literally! Their work was not without opposition.  So, it was not easy.  At times half the men worked while the rest stood ready with weapons of war.  With this kind of commitment, prayer and energy the wall was completed in less than two months!

This story is a great example of what can be done when each person does his job.  We are not building a wall, but we are certainly about the business of building.  We are building community, we are building relationships, we are building lives, and we are building efforts that confront our enemy.  To succeed, it takes all of us.  One can not do as much as all of us can together.  Notice the commitment, prayer and energy of the people as they rebuilt the walls.  But, there was one more thing, vision.  Nehemiah came with a vision of what could and needed to be done.  Being a man of prayer himself, God used him to lift the spirits and circumstances of his people.

We need Nehemiahs today.  We need workers who know their role and fulfill it with great diligence.  We need Christians who understand what needs to be done and give their energies to the completion of God’s purposes among us.  Thank God we have many of those people here at Woodlawn!  Let’s all be builders! We live to the Glory of God!  May it be so.

Sonny

Robert and Vickie Richardson have decided to place membership!

Sarah Bailey has safely made it to Italy!

HELP!  Teachers are needed for the Sunday morning nursery.  See Karen or Kathy!

There will be an Education Committee meeting today at 3:30.

Medina Children’s Home will send their truck for our winter collection during the week of March 28.  They have asked us to collect toilet paper.  There will be boxes in the foyer for your donations.

There will be a 5th Sunday Supper-N-Song after evening services on the 30th of this month.

STATISTICS FOR JANUARY 9, 2004